As a nonprofit organization, Our VOICE relies on the generosity of our community to forward our dual purpose of providing services to victims and survivors of sexual violence and of providing education to prevent sexual violence from happening in the first place.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the owners and staff of Native Kitchen in Swannanoa, who hosted and organized the [June 5] pig roast on our behalf, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting Our VOICE. The pig itself was donated to Native Kitchen by Hickory Nut Gap Farm, where it was pasture-raised.
We live in a culture where a Southern barbecue can draw large crowds, and the organizers of the event knew that the food would not only bring much-needed resources to our agency, but would also introduce new audiences to our programs and services.
The event was successful in helping us forward our mission, raising $10,000 in support of our direct and preventive services in Buncombe County.
As good stewards of the community’s resources, we know how to accomplish a lot with donations entrusted to us. Ten thousand dollars allows us to provide over 320 hours of counseling to survivors of sexual violence. Provided by licensed counselors who work one-on-one and in groups with victims of sexual abuse, our counseling sessions use a variety of therapeutic methods to help survivors on their personal road to recovery. Ten thousand dollars allows us to provide prevention education to 1,000 middle school students in Buncombe County, equipping our young people to develop the healthy boundaries they will need to be active bystanders in our community’s struggle to end rape.
We respect the passion and devotion of people who are devoted to ending violence in all its forms. Our gratitude goes to Native Kitchen for helping our mission in such a significant way and to the Mountain Xpress for giving us the opportunity to educate the community about the impact of their generosity and how it sustains our vital work.
— Angelica Wind
Our VOICE executive director
Asheville
Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the letter, “Pig Roast Rundraiser Needed Rethink,” in this issue.
Our Voice is a wonderful group. However, It is exactly this attitude – that some lives are more important than others – that perpetuates most injustices. Violence is violence, whether inflicted on a human or non-human animal. It is just common sense that if you truly believe in social justice, you cannot treat animals unjustly simply because they are unable to defend themselves. Or because they are different. Isn’t that the basis of most prejudice? Does might make right?
I commend the folks at Our Voice and everyone else working for social justice, and urge everyone to continue to fight the good fight. But try as you might, it is often difficult to succeed. Sometimes it seems like it is one step forward and two steps back, as evidenced by our current political situation. The one place you can have a positive, life-affirming effect every day is at the dinner table. Becoming a vegan is an easy way to immediately reduce the suffering in the world.
“It is easy for us to criticize the prejudices of our grandfathers, from which our fathers freed themselves. It is more difficult to distance ourselves from our own beliefs so that we can dispassionately search for prejudices among them.” Peter Singer
Hi Stewart- I beat your post here on the other thread about ingrates who complain about eating meat for funding, organizing and donating all proceeds to a worthy cause by 1 hr.
aka the OUR VOICE benefit, which was awesome.
Victory dance, as I am happy to conversate to any of your points but you not to mine.
There’s always the barefooter’s thread- they always agree with you.